Aleeza tells court not kidnapped, converted with free consent

JACOBABAD: The police presented the newly-converted Muslim girl, Aleeza, in the court of First Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate, who recorded her statement that she converted to Islam to marry Ali Raza Solangi with her free will.

Aleeza said she wanted to go with her husband Ali Raza Solangi and requested protection and termed the case as filed on malafide intent. She was produced in the court of Judge Imtiaz Lakhair who sent her to the court of Sessions Judge Manawwar Lodhi after recording her statement and later it was transferred to the Second Additional Sessions Judge. Meanwhile, the girl’s father pleaded that his daughter Mehak Kumari (now Aleeza) was a minor and could not give her consent for marriage. The court sent Aleeza to Darul Aman and ordered a medical board to determine her age. After the court’s decision, the police shifted the newly-converted Muslim girl to Larkana in tight security.

Earlier, the police cordoned off the entire area from DC Chowk to the Civil Hospital during the court’s proceedings to avoid any untoward situation. The commuters got stuck in a traffic jam while the local Hindu community shut down its businesses and protested against the conversion of the Hindu girl to Islam. They demanded handing over Mehak Kumari to her father.